I will conclude with a few observations about the Pétanque scene in Madagascar.
Bluntly put, the national Federation may have a benevolent side, but it is also corrupt, a fact that Malgache newspapers have well documented. Money has been taken for places on the national delegation to the World Championships, and for trips to tournaments abroad. In 2005, the wife of the president of the Federation actually served as the "coach" of the team at the Worlds in Brussels. Federation officials sometimes rig events and calendars to favor certain clubs and players. Enough said. Some think the negative publicity over the past two years is inducing positive changes. One hopes. Fortunately, Team Madagascar is selected, as in the U.S.A, through a qualification tournament (the national triples championship), not through a selection process managed by the Federation. However, the fourth player has often been one of the powerful "patrons" that control the sport.
A quasi-official system of patronage has organized Malgache Pétanque at the elite level for at least two decades. Patrons are typically rich merchants, many of them Indians born in Madagascar, and some Malgache: most are traders in precious stones and other commodities, or restaurant owners. Patrons "compete" among themselves to build the best stable of elite Pétanque players. They pay their players a salary (one famous player's salary, a patron told me, is more than 200 Euros a month — which is a reasonably hgh wage in the country). Patrons also pay entry fees and travel expenses to tournaments, and they collect substantial portions of the winnings. Many are also competent players, and they compete with their players in tournaments, usually as pointers. Patrons "win," in essence, when a team from their stable takes the major championships. Over the last decade, one patron and his players, based at the CGT, have dominated the major events and Team Madagascar.
Although these issues are somewhat sensitive, I asked a range of people, men and women, for their thoughts on this system. Most felt that it had hurt the Pétanque scene, corrupting it. Younger players, they say, have come to see Pétanque as a way to status and a way out of poverty; they may now play more for money than for love of the game, the accusation goes. A minority defend the system, pointing out that it allows elite players to avoid work and destitution, and to play full-time with real boules. The Women's game also has patronage elements, but there is less money and prestige at stake, and the best female players are virtually all middle class, or rich, by Malgache standards.
The country's relentless poverty means that most kids, including many superb natural players, do not have boules at all. We saw children play with the round rocks they find and horde; luckier ones cover wooden balls with aluminum foil. Outside of the CGT, most players use inferior boules that would not be legal in a French tournament (that is, there are no serial numbers or weights, and the materials are often hybrid). Many boules are made or repaired by welders using metals one would not find in a French boule. Many that I tried were lighter than the officially-prescribed weight.
I have begun a drive to collect boules to send to Madagascar. Most will go to the most important Pétanque school in Tana, which trains kids and women, and some will go to the Ligue. Many of the best players got their start at the School (including our Héry), which is run by Francis, a man deeply respected for bottomless integrity. At present, he teaches with a motley collection of a dozen inferior boules. If you, or your club, would be interested in contributing, please contact me (alec.sweet@yale.edu).
